Dell Inspiron 7000, Reference And Troubleshooting Manual

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4-22 Dell Inspiron 7000 Reference and Troubleshooting Guide
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The IDE (ATA/ATAPI) Devices test group checks the functionality of up to four devices
(two on each channel) of any capacity as well as the hard-disk drive controller.
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If you check your hard-disk drive to determine the amount of available space, your
operating system will probably report problem areas. Problem areas on hard-disk
drives are common, because most hard-disk drives have a small amount of space that
is not usable. The hard-disk drive keeps a record of this space so that the computer
will not attempt to use it. Identification of unusable disk space, unless it is an unusu-
ally large amount (over five percent of the possible total), should not be regarded as a
cause for testing the hard-disk drive.
If you encounter a problem while using an application on CD or DVD, the problem
could result from the disk or from the drive. When you encounter problems, first try
using a different CD or DVD. If the problem recurs, run the IDE (ATA/ATAPI) Devices
test group.
These are the most common symptoms that might prompt you to test the IDE
devices:
‡
The hard-disk drive fails during the boot routine.
‡
Seek errors are reported by the operating system or application programs.
‡
An error message appears on the screen stating that the computer cannot read
from or
write
to the hard-disk drive.
‡
Data on the hard-disk drive is corrupted or lost; these problems may be intermit-
tent. Once saved by a program, files cannot be properly recalled.
NOTES: Before conducting these tests on CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drives, insert a disk
with audio and data tracks (such as a multimedia CD) into the drive. All of the subtests
except for the Audio Test require a CD or DVD with data tracks. The Audio Test
requires a CD or DVD with audio tracks.
If the drive is empty, or if it contains a disk that does not have the required data or
audio tracks (depending on the test that you are running), the tests will fail.
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The four subtests in the IDE (ATA/ATAPI) Devices test group confirm the following
drive functions:
‡
Display Information
Test displays information about the drives connected to your system.
‡
Self Diagnostics Test
Uses the drive’s internal test facility to determine that is functioning correctly.